Red Rose
by J. Caitlyn
Summary: Maybe it was fate that Scorpius Malfoy could not find room in any other compartment on the train. Maybe it was destiny that Rose and Scorpius were both sorted into Ravenclaw. Or maybe Scorpius was just imagining things.


_First Day at Hogwarts- First Year_

Her eyes were like her mother's; brown, but with a hint of blue. Her hair was definitely a sign of her parents for it's red color and amount of bushiness. She had a small nose and wide eyes, a slightly pointed chin, and a long neck. However, Scorpius wasn't paying attention to Rose Weasley when he entered the nearly empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, he was looking at Albus Potter. From what his father told him and the pictures that Scorpius had seen, he was almost an exact replica of the Great Harry Potter in his school days. His dark hair was messy and his glasses lay on his face crookedly. If it weren't for the fact that Scorpius knew Harry Potter was no longer eleven, he might have indeed called the young boy by his father's name.

"Mind if I join you? All the other compartments are full." The blonde fixed his own crooked glasses nervously. No matter what the rest of the Malfoy family said, Scorpius couldn't help but feel anxious for the school waiting for him.

Albus shook his dark head, making his hair move into a more messy look. "Not at all."

So, with as much calm as he could muster, Scorpius carried himself to the same seat as the young Potter. "My name's-"

"Scorpius Malfoy." Albus finished for him. "And I'm sure you know who I am." He didn't say it with any cockiness or self-absorbency, but actually sounded uncomfortable about it and there was a slight pink hue to his cheeks.

The blonde just nodded, uncomfortable himself. "N-nice to meet you." His grandfather and his great aunts and uncles had always told him what a 'Malfoy' was and he was sure that associating himself with a Potter wasn't something they'd approve off.

_"Malfoy's stand and sit up straight, Scorpius." One of his great uncles, Atinum, had barked at a horrid family Christmas years past. _

_ Atinum's wife sneered. "Ever though' of marryin' a mudblood? Think again!" She cackled cruelly, reminding Scorpius of his father's description of Great Aunt Bellatrix, though she had been on his grandma's side, not his grandpa's. _

_ It wasn't long after all the jeering and instructions that his father had put a stop to it, informing them that their family was going back to their place for Christmas. Scorpius had never before been more grateful for his dad. _

"I'm Rose." The girl seated across from them told him impatiently. "Although, Al should've really been the one to introduce me." She shot a pointed look at Albus, who had the decency to look slightly ashamed. She then turned to Scorpius and held her hand out.

Slowly, Scorpius took it in his and shook it, trying to keep annoyed expression off his face. He had been getting on alright with Albus already without some girl getting in between. "Sorry, I didn't catch your last name..."

"Oh, it's Weasley." She grinned, clearly impressed with the surname. She held her chin high in her brand new school robes. That was until Albus rolled his eyes at her, then she just blushed a tomato red, clearly embarrassed with herself.

_Would explain it all, _Scorpius thought to himself. _Her bushy, red hair; her know-it-all attitude; it all fits._ He didn't voice his opinions. "Nice to meet you too." He nodded.

"Thanks. Oh, it's all too much! Think of it; in just a few hours, we'll be at Hogwarts, and then after that, we'll be sorted into Houses! I really can't decide which one I want to be in. My parents, you know, were both in Gryffindor, but I like the sound of Ravenclaw..."

Scorpius started to tune her out, a habit learned well from his father. He started to think of the Houses himself. Malfoy's had been in Slytherin for centuries, according to his grandfather, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be in there. He just wasn't... Ambitious, like his relatives. Sure, after the second war, the pride of his father, mother, and grandparents had gone down quite a bit, but they still wanted to uphold the image of 'Malfoy', whatever that meant. Scorpius never had the nerve to ask what exactly a 'Malfoy' was.

Then, there was Gryffindor, the very opposite of Slytherin, but Scorpius knew that being sorted into that house would stretch his prideful family's patience a little too far. So that left Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff always sounded horrid to him, though he never knew why, maybe it was the name, but Scorpius was almost positive that the Badger's House wasn't for him.

Ravenclaw. He supposed that wasn't so bad. He wasn't stupid, but he thought himself bright and smart, though he couldn't hold a candle to Rose's mom, Hermione Granger. Ravenclaw sounded much nicer than Slytherin, but then again, all of them did.

"... Oh, and you two better change into your robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon."

Scorpius only heard the last of her ranting, but it was a good thing he did. She had been right. As soon as Albus and Scorpius were dressed and ready in their black robes, the outline of the large castle was visible. Nerves coursed through the blonde's body, making him swallow more often than he need to. It felt hard to breathe now. What if his family disowned him because he fell in the lake on the way to the castle? What if they disowned him because he didn't become a Slytherin?

The 'what ifs' grew more and more outrageous, but all the more fearful, as he followed the gamekeeper to the boats. He had to concentrate on breathing just so he wouldn't hyperventilate. The wait with his fellow first years was terrible; he couldn't stop fixing his appearance. Soon, although it had felt like hours to Scorpius, a professor showed up, explaining all about the houses of Hogwarts and how the Sorting Hat worked.

It wasn't long after that that the line of eleven-year-olds followed each other into the great hall. Scorpius listened as the naming began, starting with Abbott, Jonathan and continuing after that. He was barely able to listen until he heard family wording.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" He walked up to the stool, his nerves buzzing as he gazed at it. Here it was, the biggest moment the eleven-year-old thought he would face. He sat down and the Sorting Hate was placed on his blonde hat.

The whisper tickled his ear. "A difficult one, I see. Another Malfoy. Where to put you, though? Family says Slytherin, but courage says the lion's house. Your brains speak Ravenclaw, but a loyalty speaks to Hufflepuff." The hat continued in this matter as Scorpius looked up into the brim of it.

"RAVENCLAW!" The sudden shout from the top of his head alerted Malfoy that he was done. He felt the Sorting Hat being lifted off his head as students from the Ravenclaw table clapped and cheered. _At least it isn't Gryffindor._ He thought.

Albus Severus Potter's fears were coming nearer and nearer as the professor went down the long piece of parchment. He watched as Patil, Matthew was called up and sorted into Gryffindor and Padmier, Kristin was sent to Slytherin. And then it was Albus. He walked stiffly to the stool and the talking hat was placed on his messy hair.

"Ah, a Potter." It whispered. "If it were up to family, you'd be in Gryffindor, but I do not necessarily work that way, boy."

"N-not Slytherin..." Albus mumbled. He remembered the words his father had spoken to him before he boarded the train, but now that he was here, underneath the old hat, he didn't feel that making requests to it was quite as easy.

There came a weird noise from the head covering and Albus realized with bewilderment that is was _laughing_. "Your father tell you that, did he? Well, I must let you know that if I sorted you into that particular house, you would be a star. No answer?" He asked when the small boy didn't speak. "Then let me make the decision for you... SLYTHERIN!"

He stood up slowly, swallowing. At first, there was mumbling, but then, he saw cheers and clapping come from the table with the green and silver students. A grin spread across his face and he made his way to his new family. He glanced at Gryffindor's table to try and find James. His brother's face was confused, but he looked happy enough for Albus. Relief warmed the be-speckled boy.

Scorpius watched as the bushy red head made her way to the stool and had the hat placed on Rose. Unlike the two boys with whom she had shared a compartment with, the hat was barely on her head for a second before he announced her to be in Ravenclaw. She made her way to the table, the smile on her face huge, and sat down right next to Scorpius.

"Oh, it's marvelous, isn't it? We'll be in the same house!" And without warning, the Weasley hugged the Malfoy tightly.

Scorpius' face paled as their fellow first-years snickered and he saw Rose blush a brilliant shade of red as she pulled away from him. The blonde could tell that this would not be the end of embarrassment with Rose Weasley.


End file.
